John served in the RAF Police from 1957 to 1979. He joined the RAF Police Association in
2002 and prior to his move to France was a member of the East Midlands Branch.

Having come to the conclusion in late 2014 that the Overseas Members of RAFPA had become the forgotten few he arranged for
a canvass of members gaining support for an application to form an Overseas
Branch of the Association. John envisaged that any such Branch would be ‘Virtual’
in nature being administered utilising its own website, electronic mail and the
various social media platforms available.

In February 2015 John ‘Petitioned’ the Association Officers for permission to form the St.Michael’s Branch and that
process is now history.

John was elected as Branch Chairman in May 2015 and re-elected in 2016. Under his quiet guidance the Branch has flourished
ensuring that the Overseas members, who reside in 22 different countries
worldwide, are no longer forgotten about when decisions are being made and
there is no doubt that the Branch members are now amongst the best informed
group of members in the Association. Since February 2015 he has demonstrated
his commitment by attending two Association AGM’s and two meetings of the
Executive Council, athis own expense,
as a voice for the Overseas members; it is his intention to once again
represent the Branch at the EC meeting in London this October.

In 2016 John became an Association Trustee demonstrating an equal level of commitment to the Association as a whole.

John most certainly shares one of Alan Rusling’s core values firmly believing that “The member comes first, Egos come
last”.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the St.Michael's Branch John became co-recipient on the 14th occasion of the Memorial Award.